Twinkle twinkle little star,How I wonder what you are. Up above the world so high, Like a diamond in the sky.

Heather, Brent and big sis Evy now have a new member of their family! At 13 days old, baby Ethan is small and mighty with his ability to sleep through anything, fuss never, and poop repeatedly in short amounts of time.

Evy sings “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” softly to her baby brother and adores him so much that she is washed with sadness at the thought of not holding him anymore. (I know, right?!! Awwwwww.) And baby Ethan has this adorable little face with twinkling stars in his dark eyes. Gazing at him is like seeing boundless hope and love.

Now take a peek into the life of The W Family who is now a family of FOUR… <3

Being able to hold your baby in your arms after growing it inside your body for three quarters of a year is one of the most wondrous things you could experience. Ever. It is one of those experiences that you can’t describe or have explained to you. It’s a feeling that is so powerful that sometimes, you feel washed with emotion. This is true for fathers too. And grandparents.

It is an honor to be able to photograph the delicate nature of a newborn and the emotional complexities of adding another person into a family, as I did this weekend for Arezou, Pedram and baby Tara.

Check out this newborn’s gorgeous full head of hair and THE longest lashes. Tara was very alert for being 2 weeks new. And she most definitely gazed knowingly at her mother’s face and felt soothed by her father’s trance-like face massage.

Thank you, Pedram and Arezou, for welcoming me into your home and letting me photograph your life now as a family of three. <3 ~annie

Baby Marissa joined The C Family a month ago, so I zipped over to their house to capture their life as it is right now! First, I photographed the baby with all her chins (hee hee) at their home. See Exhibit A:

ADORABLE, right?!!

Then we went to their neighborhood park to play.

Some cute observations from their shoot:

~ Marissa is calmest when her dad, Tim, holds her outward, so she can see his face. Then her arms fall to her side completely limp!
~ Madeline (4 yrs old) proves she can do everything her big brother can do, like the monkey bars!
~ Matthew (6 yrs old) has a cool train set and has been playing that since my first shoot with them 3 years ago.
~ Jenny really loves stuffed animals. There is one in her collection that looks like a cross breed between a panda and Olaf!

Newborn Photography usually takes longer than a typical Lifestyle session because parents need to take time caring for their baby, but when you add in young children to the mix, it adds to the dynamic. [To learn more about Newborn Photography, here’s an article on Sensitivity and one on Lifestyle Newborn.]

This sweet family kept thanking me at the end of their shoot because their shoot lasted 3 hours (as some Newborn Shoots do) — however, I was the one who felt grateful! Tim and Jenny are such awesome people, so their shoots feel more like hanging out with friends! And their kids were so fun to play with that they had me laughing a lot. To top it off, they “get” my style of photography and appreciate me.

Amidst house renovations, a brand new baby, visitors, an active toddler, two big dogs, and a holiday, it is safe to say The L Family had a lot going on when I came over for their shoot. If you met them though, you wouldn’t know it because they were so cool, calm and content!

This San Francisco Lifestyle Photography session had two parts: an indoor newborn and family session at the house and an outdoor session in their neighborhood. It was all shot in a relaxed, lifestyle manner, which captured personalities, relationships and stories.

Check out this sneak peek of The L Family hanging out together and how 7-day new Ryan sleep through most of it. hee hee.

Almost exactly 2 years ago, Caroline was born to The K Family. However, Little Caroline is rarely called by her real name that one day, she will probably introduce herself to others as “Bear” or “Carebear”.

Can you imagine the look on people’s faces? “Hello. My name is Bear.” Heheheh, cute, right?!!

Things were moving steadily for Bear as she learned new things and discovered her love of Art… until last week, Anna entered the World. Now Bear has a sister!

Oh, I can imagine the sorts of adventures Anna and Bear will have together!!!

Anna and Carebear

Beautiful Anna

The New Family of FOUR

Congratulations, Brie and Mark!

Anna Sophia is absolutely precious, and I am extremely grateful to be able to photograph such a special time for your family.

Once upon a time, there were two people named Louisa and Jeff who both went to UCLA. In their first year at school, they started dating and fell in love. Years later, they got married and recently gave birth to a beautiful baby boy. Now they are in love….again.

This time, with little Jacob. <3

Congratulations, Louisa and Jeff!

Thank you for welcoming me into your home for the afternoon to photograph your life with little Jacob. I can see he is surrounded by love!

I can tell you how the blanket is made up of Penna’s mom’s angora sweaters or that the handmade mobile over the crib represents the baby’s family members. I can talk about the ring Penna is wearing, and how she got it after hearing her baby’s heartbeat for the first time.

But I won’t.

There are stories behind every object and backdrop and nook in this North Bay Lifestyle Shoot, and they are all meaningful and touching. Here’s the problem…

Once I look at this little man’s face, I am in the present. I forget about history, that I have a headache, and even the news of the World. Bodhi (pronounced “Boe-dee”) has that effect on me! Just look at his squishy cheeks, those soulful eyes, the perfectly messy soft curls on his head, his flirty smile, and the delicious fat rolls…and you’ll see what I mean.

Baby Evelyn (nicknamed “Evy”) was born on October 11th, almost 2 weeks early. Even at 5 tiny pounds, she is alert and moves all around like she can’t wait to go on a run with mom!

During my morning photographing this precious little girl, I was the most impressed with how relaxed and at ease her parents were. They don’t even seem like first-time parents! Brent and Heather made jokes when the diaper exploded and were tickled by the expressions Evy made.

There was nothing Evy could do that would make them unhappy or stressed. It was so refreshing to watch.

Sleepy Evy

Love At First Sight

True Colors

Doing Push-Ups

This is seriously one of the funniest newborn photos ever, am I right?!!

Evy was lifting her legs as if attempting to get up and began “rooting” (finding mom with her mouth) the blanket. In this shot, she is doing both simultaneously.

Teardrop

Pumpkin Baby Announcement

Smiles and ZZZZs

Favorite Holiday

Halloween is Heather and Brent’s favorite holiday, so it was perfect timing to give birth to Evy in October.

Favorite Pumpkin

Guess which pumpkin is Heather and Brent’s favorite? And don’t say the round one on the right!

Nope, no one got hurt (not a “boo boo”) and I am not referring to Halloween (not a scary “BOO!”)

Last weekend, I had a Lifestyle Newborn Photography session with a little baby, nicknamed Boo, who was scheduled to arrive in November.

Baby Olive surprised us all with her almost one-month earlier arrival. Mommy Kristin had a bit of a rollercoaster ride, but in the end, all is well and wonderful as she now has 4 babies snuggled beside her. (Two of the babies are furry ones!)

The other Boo is Baby Olive’s sister who resembles the Monster’s Inc character. Keep reading and you’ll see what I mean…